Almost 80% of women agreed that it is a struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

HealthDay News — Many female physicians report feeling disadvantaged when negotiating contracts and feel that they are assessed for promotion using different criteria than those used for men, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

The AMA conducted a 15-minute online survey among 500 practicing female physicians aged 64 years and younger to explore what is important to female physicians.

According to the report, most women (64%) said they experienced a disadvantage in contract negotiations, while 47% saw it in their hiring evaluations; 33% felt gender bias in relation to their pay levels. More than half (55%) said they were evaluated using different criteria than male physician counterparts when up for promotion.

Female physicians experience one of the largest pay gaps between sexes among professionals, with newly trained male physicians making $16,819 more than newly trained female physicians in New York in 2008.

Almost 80% of women agreed that it is a struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance; 73% and 92% agreed that responsibilities related to aging parents and child care fall on female physicians more than male physicians. Almost all women (97%) wanted the option of a flexible work schedule.

"Despite the myriad challenges faced by women physicians, 86% said they were 'somewhat or very likely to continue practicing as a physician for the remainder of their working career,'" according to the report.